Michel Debre

Michel Debre (15 January 1912-2 August 1996) was Prime Minister of France from 8 January 1959 to 14 April 1962, succeeding Charles de Gaulle and preceding Georges Pompidou. Debre was a Gaullist politican during his political career.

Biography
Michel Debre was born in Paris, France on 15 January 1912, and he was a member of Charles de Gaulle's Free French Cabinet during World War II. He was a Senator from 1948 to 19858, and he subsequently became a Deputy in the National Assembly. Debre supported De Gaulle's return to power in 1958, confident that he would be able to restore French rule in Algeria by winning the Algerian War. Despite De Gaule's subsequent termination of French rule in Algeria, he remained one of his faithful followers. as Minister of Justice in 1958, he he was in charge of preparing the constitution of the Fifth Republic. As its first Prime Minister, he also had an important role in the negotiations of the Evian Agreements. Thereafter, he served as Minister of Economics and Finance from 1966 to 1968, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1968 to 1969, and Minister of Defense from 1969 to 1973. He ran successfully against the neo-Gaullist Jacques Chirac to become the right wing's main contender in the 1981 presidential elections. The rhetorically-extreme Debre lost the election, and he left the National Assembly in 1988.